CIA’s strategy in the face of emerging challenges

Whether in Asia, the Middle East, Europe, or Latin America, the United States faces security threats on a number of fronts and by an array of actors, including extremist networks, rogue states, and emerging powers. The Central Intelligence Agency is charged with understanding these ongoing security challenges to the United States while also identifying emerging issues that will affect the nation’s security in the future. CIA has to evolve and innovate in order to effectively address today’s pressing problems without losing sight of those over-the-horizon issues.

On July 13, the Center for 21st Century Security and Intelligence hosted the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency John O. Brennan for an address on the emerging threats facing the United States and the CIA’s strategy for meeting those challenges. Brookings Senior Fellow and Co-Director of the Center on 21st Century Security and Intelligence Gen. John Allen (USMC, Ret.) introduced Director Brennan, and Senior Fellow and Director of The Intelligence Project Bruce Riedel moderated a discussion following the director’s remarks.